Peter Tarka transforms simple 3D shapes into playful, surreal worlds that feel both polished and impossible. Blending bold colour, typography, realistic lighting, and art direction, his CGI work shows how simple ideas can become striking visual stories.
Peter Tarka Turns Simple 3D Forms Into Playful, Surreal Worlds for Global Brands
At first glance, Peter Tarka’s work looks simple. A few geometric shapes, bold colours, clean typography, perhaps a product floating somewhere in an impossible little world. Look closer, though, and there’s a lot more going on.
Tarka is a London-based creative director, 3D artist, and illustrator originally from Warsaw. His work combines 3D illustration, art direction, motion, and advertising to create playful CGI scenes that feel polished, colourful, and slightly surreal.
What makes his work particularly interesting is the way he takes relatively simple forms and turns them into complete visual worlds. A sphere can become a character. A collection of blocks can become an environment. A product can suddenly feel oversized, tiny, futuristic, or completely out of place—in a way that somehow makes perfect visual sense.
Simple Shapes, Surprisingly Rich Worlds
One of the most recognisable qualities of Tarka’s work is his ability to start with uncomplicated forms and build something much more imaginative around them.
His compositions often feature geometric objects, playful proportions, strong colour combinations, and carefully arranged spaces. Nothing feels accidental, even when the final image has a dreamlike quality.
There is a nice balance between simplicity and detail.
The forms themselves may be minimal, but the lighting, materials, shadows, reflections, textures, and composition give them a convincing physical presence. That contrast is a big part of what makes the images so engaging.
Where 3D Meets Illustration
Tarka’s work doesn’t feel like traditional 3D rendering alone.
It has the visual clarity of illustration, the polish of commercial CGI, and the conceptual thinking of art direction. His images can communicate an idea almost instantly, which is particularly useful when working with brands.
Rather than creating realism simply for the sake of realism, he uses realistic lighting, materials, shadows, and surfaces to make unusual ideas feel believable.
That’s an important distinction.
A strange object becomes much more interesting when it looks as though it could actually exist.
Playful, But Still Highly Controlled
There is a playful quality running through much of Tarka’s work, but the compositions never feel messy.
Colours are carefully selected. Objects are positioned with purpose. Negative space is used to give the main subject room to breathe, while shadows and lighting help establish a sense of depth.
This combination gives the work its distinctive character: playful ideas presented with a very polished visual finish.
It’s also why the work translates so well to commercial projects. The images can be imaginative without losing the clarity needed for advertising and brand communication.
A Visual Language Built for Brands
Tarka’s work has been used by a long list of global brands, including Apple, Nike, Sony, Porsche, Google, Audi, BMW, Samsung, Adobe, Airbnb, LG, and Spotify. His studio, Grate Studio, produces 3D illustration and visual campaigns for commercial clients.
Working with brands at this level requires more than making something visually attractive.
The artwork has to communicate quickly, work within a brand’s visual language, and remain memorable without becoming distracting.
Tarka’s approach seems particularly well suited to that challenge. His images often have one clear visual idea, but there is enough detail to reward a second look.
That makes them work equally well as campaign visuals, illustrations, digital content, or standalone pieces of visual storytelling.
The Beauty of Making the Impossible Feel Real
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Tarka’s work is that it doesn’t try to hide the fact that the worlds are impossible.
Objects might float. Scale might make little sense. Materials can look unusually smooth or exaggerated. Colours can be far more vivid than anything you’d normally encounter in the real world.
And yet, the lighting and physical detail make everything feel tangible.
That’s where his approach becomes particularly effective.
Instead of asking, “How can this look realistic?”, the work often feels more like asking, “How can this impossible idea feel real?”
That shift opens up much more creative territory.
A Strong Lesson for 3D Designers
There is also something useful to take away from Tarka’s approach if you’re working in 3D, illustration, motion, or visual design.
You don’t always need a complicated concept to create an interesting image.
Sometimes, a handful of basic shapes is enough.
The difference comes from how those shapes are arranged, lit, coloured, textured, and placed within the composition.
A simple idea can become memorable when the execution is thoughtful.
That’s probably one of the reasons Tarka’s work stands out. The visuals are approachable at first glance, but they have enough personality and craft to keep you looking.
For designers exploring 3D illustration, CGI, art direction, motion design, or commercial visual storytelling, his work is a great reminder that simplicity doesn’t have to mean boring.
Sometimes, the simplest forms can create the most interesting worlds.
Explore more of Peter Tarka’s work on Instagram: Peter Tarka on Instagram
